Thursday 9 February 2017

KNIGHTS - DAMES AND CONDOMS

Why the pope has taken control of the Knights of Malta

The Vatican clashes with an ancient chivalric order

ON FEBRUARY 2nd, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Angelo Becciu as his special delegate to the Order of the Knights of Malta, an exclusive, centuries-old Roman Catholic fellowship. He told him to collaborate with the Order’s acting head for the “reconciliation between all its members” and to work for it “spiritual and moral renewal”. The letter in which he gave these instructions completed a virtual takeover of the Order that began on January 24th when the pope forced the resignation of the order's grand master, a 67 year-old Briton, Matthew Festing. What is going on?
Popes have occasionally sent representatives in to crack the whip over monastic orders suspected of veering from the doctrinal straight-and-narrow. But the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, which defended pilgrims to the Holy Land during the Crusades, is an order of chivalry. And a singular one. Like countries, the Order has sovereignty (its knights having previously ruled Malta). Yet it no longer has territory beyond its headquarters on the fashionable Via Condotti in Rome. From there it dispatches ambassadors and issues stamps, coins and even its own licence plates. The only similar, sovereign entity with little or no territory is the Holy See. So Francis’s putsch is akin to the annexation of one state by another.
The Order today is an international body with around 13,500 knights and dames. It organises humanitarian initiatives in many parts of the world. But its leadership is formed of the rich and noble. A clash with Pope Francis, a champion of the poor and an adversary of privilege, was perhaps inevitable at some point. The showdown was triggered on December 6th when Mr Festing dismissed his grand chancellor, Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager, after he refused to step down over claims, which Mr Boeselager denies, that he allowed the distribution of condoms in Myanmar. The Vatican appointed a commission of inquiry. The Order responded with a statement that, to protect its sovereignty, “it should not co-operate”. Two weeks later, the pope summoned Mr Festing to demand his resignation. Shortly afterwards the Order’s governing council agreed to its grand master’s removal and the appointment of an interim leader. Mr Boeselager has since been reinstated.



The affair has left some Catholics wondering if the pope is less stringent about artificial contraception than the Catholic catechism, which teaches that its use is sinful. But there have been suggestions that the affair is about more than birth control. There have been claims of freemasonic infiltration and a power struggle within the Order between Germans and Italians. A London-based Catholic weekly, the Tablet, reported that the former grand master had objected to the Vatican commission because of links between three of its members and an unidentified “Geneva fund”. What is more certain is that this opaque affair has become the latest stage in an continuing trial of strength between Pope Francis and his traditionalist critics. Even before the appointment of Archbishop Becciu, the Vatican had the power to appoint a representative inside the Order. Raymond Burke, an arch-traditionalist and critic of the pope, is regarded as having been made its cardinal patron—in order to keep him on the sidelines. Then by making Archbishop Becciu his “exclusive spokesperson in all matters relating to relations between the Apostolic See and the order,” the pope has not just sidelined, but humiliated, one of his most outspoken adversaries.

PAT SAYS:
I am not so sure what Knights and Dames - of Malta and elsewhere - have anything much to do with Jesus of Nazareth who said:
"Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head".

It seems to me that people and priests in these orders fancy themselves as some kind of superior creatures and love dressing up. Its a form of ECCLESIASTICAL CROSS DRESSING.

Of course any GOOD that these orders do - whether its providing First Aid - or even BETTER by distributing condoms in Africa is indeed good.

AFRICA needs condoms both for family planning purposes and very importantly to stop the spread of HIV and other serious illnesses.

I am quite certain that God has little or no problem with condoms however they are used.

And to my mind distributing condoms in Africa is a practical GOOD WORK - WORK OF GOD.

Its the Roman Catholic Church that is OBSESSED WITH SEX - not God.

If organisations like the Knights of Malta continue to exist they should concentrate more on their GOOD WORKS than on dressing up.



38 comments:

  1. What order distributed condoms at world youth day allegedly and the like

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  2. MourneManMichael9 February 2017 at 08:39

    An interesting and excellant blog Pat.
    Perhaps it shows something of the problems facing Pope Francis in reforming the church. The vested interests of the clerical hierarchy will wish to retain power and privilege allowing them to continue living in their self obsessed ivory towers under the guise of "protecting" traditional beliefs.
    Good man Francis. Remember Luke 9:62. " No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit.....". or Philippians 3:13.
    Bring it on!
    MMM

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  3. What is the point of all this dressing up, medals etc?

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    1. Dad's army?

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    2. Perhaps the Knights are off to slaughter the Turk or raid the Barbary Coast, after the cheese and port has been polished off. We should reinstitute the Templar and Teutonic Knights to give the French and German nobilities a chance to give a lavish display of their Christian faith and charity.

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  4. Sounds like an exclusive cult like the SPR. They clearly have become so full of their own self importance that Francis has had to slap them down. I'm also slightly worried at the number of clergy who are anxious to join their ranks and wear the most outlandish gear and decorations. As you rightly point out Bishop it's a cross dressers paradise. I wonder do they have the shoes to match?

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  5. The Maltesers attract ambitious young clerics who like to mix with the Dames and Knights believing it confers a special status on them. I understand that the Order makes some of the Monsignori but only within their own ranks, it means they get to dress with brighter plumage than 'ordinary' clerics on special occasions. It's a bit like a Tranni club, all hush hush and lots of bling. Poor Pope Francis he has all kinds of fruit and nut cases to deal with!

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  6. Doesn't do any harm to indulge them. We may not be able to save their souls but their money is useful to finance our good works. Would worry about priests getting too involved. They should realise that payback day will come when they are least expecting it.

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  7. Pope Francis, Euthanasia, Order of Malta, Condoms...All very interesting and thought provoking, but have you any updates on the Maynooth story?

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  8. It seems gorgeous is not to be ordained this year. So sources close to the Palace tell me.

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    1. Whether this is a genuine comment or a distracting comment I have the same response. After everything, if he genuine about his love of God and Church he would walk away before he causes more scandal.

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  9. Who cares about Maynooth? It's clear the Irish Bishops couldn't give a toss about the cess pit it has become. Total inaction and I think many now are beyond tired with the whole situation.

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  10. 12.00 One tires of the same old rumour mill. Last week Puck wasn't being ordained and this week his Ordination is going ahead. People are beyond caring at this stage.

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  11. I think you're right and saturation point has been reached..... and they'll be aware of this in Maynooth itself too. Their strategy has been to keep their heads down,ignore it all and sooner or later the whirlwind will die down and burn out when people get bored and move on to something else. When people get tired and run out of steam, they stop. That's how life is - -

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    1. That's exactly what Gaynooth and the bishops do - stop their ears, close their eyes and whistle loudly until the whirlwind passes.

      Then - business as usual ... AND quietly ordain the Mad Puck Goat and Gorgeous when no one is looking, etc. etc.

      Keep up the pressure!

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  12. Maynooth needs one BIG condom put on it to contain the vile that appears to be within it's walls, not that there is anything wrong with sex or the beauty of it.

    Just on the subject of condoms and popes, there is no problem with the pope an issuing of condoms.

    After all wasn't it one of the pre John Pauls, Pious or John who allowed the nuns going to work in Africa to be allowed to use the pill as a means of contraception. So condom or pill used for the greater good is a moral good therefore no sin in it's use.

    Condoms are good for reducing the spread of aids so it's only morally right for the use the pope I believe would agree.

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    1. It was Poe Paul V1 who permitted this to nuns in Belgian Congo in the 1960s.

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  13. Pat I would like to point out so many double standards on this blog. About the nun yesterday you said that God is full of mercy and forgiveness and you believe that God would receive her soul with love and forgiveness and I do agree with you. Yet you seem not to show any mercy or forgiveness towards those who wish to be ordained and indeed towards Bishops. Do you not think that God would also look upon those individuals with love and mercy also. We cannot judge and thus we should not vilify people in a public forum without proof. A lot about Maynooth is conjecture and rumor I have yet to see real proof or concrete evidence against these men. Jesus is our only Judge and we have to rely on his love and mercy as we ourselves must account for our own actions

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    1. I think there is a VAST difference between a humble 51 year old former nun suffering a life terminating illness and:

      1. Seminarians who practice extreme promiscuous sex through internet apps.

      2. Bishops who knowing this ordain these men who will without doubt create havoc in parishes etc.

      Of course in the ned only God judges.

      But he has said:

      "To whom much is given is much expected"?

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    2. Anonymous at 14:23, your weasel words are typical of the friends and enablers of men who should never have been accepted as seminarians, or who should have been screened out early in their formation and who, most definitely, SHOULD NOT BE ORDAINED.

      God FORBIDS promiscuous sexual behaviour among ALL the baptised and His priests must be exemplary of life. Are you utterly obtuse, Anon @ 14:23?

      You idiots continually harp on about love and mercy for these sexually actively seminarians and deacons! Are you deliberately and wilfully ignoring the clear standards of God?

      Or you an irredeemably stupid, starry-eyed, thick as two short planks, moron?

      God has mercy on and forgives those who are truly and sincerely penitent. Not those who post indecent pictures of themselves on Grindr, looking for a 'quickie', the night before diaconate!!

      These men, who are the subject of Pat's scrutiny, should live the rest of their lives in penance - outside the seminary - and DEFINITELY NOT AS PRIESTS!!

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  14. Talking of Dames, Order of Malta, condoms, etc. Any sightings of the Great Dane?

    The former Dean of Belfast loved to dress up in his Knights of Malta costume as, because of the way it is designed for some clerics, he could make believe that he was a prelate of honour to His Holiness.

    Was the Great Dane anywhere seen sniffing around St Brigid's (his native parish) when Vinnie was there the other night?

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  15. Yes and he also let him who is without sin cast the first stone

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    1. Mother! Put that stone down! LOL

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  16. Chaplains to the Knights of Malta are sneered at behind their backs by the Knights in many instances. They are to be pitied more than anything. They join as they're attracted to the pageantry of the Knights and Dames and some of them get to wear soutanes which resemble monsignors. But they can only wear them at Knights of Malta events. Yet many of them, like Gorgeous, cannot keep their phones out of their hands and take selfies and post them on their social media sites so some people in their parishes think that - father the curate - most be a monsignor. Its sad. However, if they have time to attend knights of Malta pilgrimages and events, surely they have the time to organise trips to Lourdes with their own parishioners? Or surely they have time to visit the elderly in their own parishes? Most of them realise that theyre never going to 'make it ' in their own dioceses as Monsignors or be elevated. So this is the only way they get get to wear a purple trim. It's sad. They actually need to be pitied. They could be up to worse I suppose.

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    1. Yes, anon at 17:50. Very true ... and such was the sad and pitiful case of the self-styled "Dean", Hugh Kennedy.

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    2. I think some of us are aware that the title of "Monsignor" was discontinued three years ago in the cases of priests who were under 65 years old. However,any who already had received the title were allowed to keep it.

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  17. Are any of the Irish Hirearchy involved with the Knights of Malta?

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    1. None of them are high born. None of them are knights or none of their fathers were knoghts. So unless some of them were chaplains in their day. Chaplains are the equivalent of dinner ladies in a private school. Only the dinner ladies in a private school have more charism and charity

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    2. Spot on. Nearly after choking laughing

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  18. @Pat some of the Chaplains to the Knights of Malta have are fans of Cardinal Burke and when he comes to Ireland they serve his masses etc. Now that Francis is very anti-Burke, therefore most bishops will have to be seen to be anti-Burke (if they want to keep on the Vatican's good side - and remember the Nuncio is watching). It will be interested to see if these same Chaplains will be as quick to post photos of themselves with Burke

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    1. Any priest or bishop posting himself alongside Burke won't seen any promotion in this papacy

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  19. Any word on Gorgeous or Puck or any of the others in the soap opera?

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    1. theres a new member of the language department whose on grindr and teaches two seminarians. wonder that the congregation for catholic education would think of that.

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  20. "Christ has no body now but yours." - I'm not a big contributor so thought I write to you. Above quote is a big Challenge which you are exemplary in executing with courage Bishop. Thanks for the Article today.

    I could be wrong here, but after reflecting on this piece I am reminded of the man, Jesus, whom we know. I also realise how our institution is far from that person of Jesus. Your article depicts very well the story of the Church's problem and the picture of the starving people with outstretched arms for food in comparison to the photo with men in fancy vestments is profound. It is a story I know very well.

    The way in which I find to be most effective and wholesome in being the hands and feet for God - is to be Christ like to myself - First. In doing so I enter into an authentic relationship with Him and am better able to give witness to this (in my limited form) for others in a non-judgemental and charitable way.

    Now when I see these men in Ludicrous dress and fancy gear reading a list of "do's and don'ts" I begin to ask myself - how genuine is it all? Something just doesn't fit. Why would I therefore follow these fake and empty gestures hidden behind costume? Sadly the reality is: the average working person has awoken to this and turned their back on the show. And this is a good thing - so long may it continue if it encourages the much needed change we wish to see. After the one true shepherd, (Jesus) the people need shepherds but instead we witness fearful red tape abiding rule keepers and clowns - which in turn is lifeless.

    I am no expert! However my gut instinct is that these men in drag do NOT demonstrate that they have begun a meaningful journey with themselves inwardly - for if it were so - why the need to express it in such a way which is devoid of any depth of understanding of the unconditional love which Jesus taught - it seems far from the person of Jesus.

    Surely something, unfortunately has went wrong somewhere along the line in their journey toward Him. Lets keep the prayers up for these people.

    In embodying Christ-like principles of boundless love and charity - we seek to set the prisoner free - NOT become an embodiment of rules and regulations which are love-less and empty gestures that serve no purpose in proclaiming the nature of the KOG.

    Pat you continue to open our eyes to the reality and call for change in our Church. May it continue and may God Bless your work...

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  21. Get you, Pat Buckley, reading the Economist. Excuse me!!! You are well read I'll give you that and very interesting article indeed.

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